This serves as a quick update and revision of OdessaFX services for the Summer 2008 short and long-term travel season.

First, all OdessaFX Services except translator/interpreter support services are on temporary hold. We are currently in talks to merge our support with the formation of a new real estate agency. Our operational tests with local real estate agents and agencies have not performed to an acceptable standard.

Inflation and tourist growth is serving to push median short-term and long-term apartment rental rates higher than forecasted in earlier articles. Western renovated one room studios are running at roughly $650 per month and higher the closer they are to the beach. Further away, rates in the range of $550 are possible. Depending upon length of stay and amount of transit to/from the center of town/beach – costs of time and money on transportation will eclipse any savings.

Why choose OdessaFX? A quick study of Odessa will show it is oriented almost exclusively to the tourist market. That is typically associated with vacations, tours and marriage agencies. OdessaFX is the only service of its kind in Odessa. The list of things you will want actually living in Odessa will be a LOT longer than the list you'll want for a 1-2 week stay.

Since you speak English and will be surrounded by people who mostly speak Russian…that we provide translator and interpreter services is a given. You will likely want to make contact with other expats and we'll help you with that and keep you informed of what you need to know. You probably won't want to carry all of the things you want with you on the plane. Apartments are furnished here, so that will make your list a little shorter. The rest of what you will need and want we can easily help you find (Taking a queue from Gillette, I'm a customer, too).

The OdessaFX Team has experience supporting some of the expats already living in Odessa. We also have background experience in supporting both civilian and military deployments, so relocations are not new to us. This extends also to contingency planning. Our first effort is to prevent problems, but when that fails, we know how to respond to problems. In the United States, help is a phone call away. Here, if you can’t speak Russian, suddenly things get complicated. We attend to this with considerable detail in our orientation package.

In determining the kind of support you want, your choice is between agents specializing in short-term visits or OdessaFX. We are the only specialist supporting long-term living for English speakers in Odessa. You will save at least 50% on stays of six months or longer through our service - extremely competitive even on stays of up to three months.

Moving to Ukraine is an important decision, it will involve some adjustments though not quite as many as you might think. Research your options carefully, and then, if you like what you see in OdessaFX let us help you with any questions you may still have. We hope to see you here!

Best Regards,

Mark Dabbs
Your "Lead Team Guy" in Ukraine